Charter School Institute
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Email: csi_info@csi.state.co.us
CSI School Board Newsletter
Spring 2018
Thank you to those of you who were able to attend the CSI School Leaders Meeting and Board-to-Board Networking and Training last month! We had a fantastic showing of school leaders and board members. Agenda topics for the School Leaders Meeting ranged from financial forecasting to student data privacy to renewal and expansion. View all of the School Leader Meeting presentations here ! The Board-to-Board portion included a presentation on School Leader Evaluations led by CSI Executive Director, Dr. Terry Croy Lewis, and CSI School Support Consultant, John Brendza.
Senator King Honored at League Conference
Many of you also attended the Colorado League of Charter Schools Conference on March 1-2, where CSI and school staff presented on a variety of topics, including presentations on board governance.

In addition to the many learning and networking opportunities spread across the two days, Senator Keith King was recognized by CSI for his immense contributions in Colorado education and especially within the charter sector at CSI's reception on Thursday. (Pictured left are CSI Board member Tom Brinegar, CSI Executive Director Terry Croy Lewis, Senator King, and CSI Board Chair Luke Ragland.) Senator King was again honored on Friday with a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the League.
CSI Schools Earn John Irwin Schools & Centers of Excellence Awards!!

On Thursday, March 1 st , the Colorado Department of Education honored 7 schools from the Charter School Institute portfolio with the  John Irwin Schools of Excellence award  and the  Colorado Centers of Excellence award . CSI staff and board members attended the awards ceremony and accepted the awards on behalf of the schools. Schools receiving these awards were also provided a toolkit by CSI Communications Team, which included resources and strategies for promoting these honors.

Upcoming Events for School Board Members
Board Training Opportunities
CSI will be hosting spring Board Training events in the Denver metro area, Colorado Springs, and the Western slope in May.

These events offer opportunities to connect with members of other CSI school governing boards and CSI staff, and receive technical training on critical topics.

It is our hope to provide free and flexible training opportunities to support the governing board members of CSI schools. School board members are encouraged to take advantage of these training and networking opportunities!
Please mark these dates in your calendar to attend one of our upcoming board training opportunities! Specific times and locations will be forthcoming.
Denver Board Training
May 1, 2018
Colorado Springs Board Training
May 2, 2018
Western Slope Board Training
May 4, 2018
School Safety and Resources
In the wake of February's tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the many other recent instances of school violence, we know that school safety is at the front of your minds. CSI is committed to connecting you to as many resources as possible. Please refer to the CSI School Safety Resources Guide for links to additional supports as well as reminders of situations when CSI must be notified.
School Climate Survey
A critical component of school leader evaluations is the evaluation of school climate, typically captured through an annual school climate survey. Not only does the climate survey provide valuable information for consideration in the evaluation of your school leader, but it also serves as a useful tool to help assess perceptions of safety and security among students and parents.

There are a number of great resources available to assist in developing a school climate survey, including those listed below. Schools should also be sure to include questions relating to the school's mission and questions that are specific to the school's culture.





Wayne K. Hoy, Ohio State University provides a variety of free targeted surveys. Topics range from climate, health, academic optimism, and many others, and are categorized by grade level bands.

*to access surveys, hover over "Research Instruments" heading in top right
Positive School Climate, Colorado School Safety Resource Center includes a variety of resources and links to other resources on the development of school climate surveys.

Additional Tips for administering a School Culture Survey as provided by Mountain Middle School
Main Tip: Keep your surveys succinct
  • Consider the survey platform. Mountain Middle administers its surveys in Google Forms, which allows for easing sorting and graphing of data.
  • Differentiate the surveys for parents and students based on grade level groupings in order to connect the survey to those areas upon which those grade levels are specifically focusing, but include common questions across all grade levels in order to obtain general information on climate and culture.
  • Offer the surveys early in the year and make adjustments based on feedback.
  • Let parents and students know how you use their feedback so that they feel informed and know that their voices are heard.
  • Use Spring survey results to inform decisions and priorities for next year.
Critical Happenings
School CARS Report
Since our last board newsletter, each school leader and board chair should have received the finalized CSI Annual Review of Schools (CARS) Report, summarizing the school's 2016-2017 academic, organizational, and financial performance and identifying the school's accreditation rating. School boards interested in being trained in how to read and use the CARS Report should contact Director of Evaluation and Assessment, Ryan Marks .
School Student Services Screener Report
School leaders received the updated Student Services Screener report from CSI this past January. This screener outlines a school's performance against a variety of data points related to enrollment, stability, growth, graduation, discipline, and compliance for each student subgroup (students with disabilities, including those with IEPs and 504 plans, English Learners, and Gifted/Talented students). This report identifies tiers of support and serves as the platform to initiate conversations between CSI and school staff about supports and interventions available to support school improvement in these areas. Feel free to connect with your school's leader if you're interested in seeing the outcome of this report! For additional questions about the screener, please contact Director of Student Services, Clare Vickland .
General Policy Resources
CSI continues to build upon the resources available to CSI school board members. Some of the key resources are highlighted below:
 CSI maintains a webpage dedicated to resources for CSI school board members. Materials will be regularly updated and added to throughout the year, so bookmark this page, and return to it often! These materials are maintained by CSI's Director of Legal and Policy, Trish Krajniak .
CSI maintains a BoardDocs website, which houses information regarding CSI's Board, materials for Committee and Board meetings, and a library of CSI policies. These materials are maintained by CSI Communications Coordinator and Board Liaison, Rachel Hitt .

CSI specific guidance and resources on a variety of policies, including Attendance, Enrollment, Grievances, Safety, etc.
Be on the look out for the next CSI quarterly newsletter coming your way May 2018 !
Charter School Institute
1580 Logan St., Ste. 210
Denver, CO 80203